


A Home for the Holidays

by mage_989



Category: Almost Human
Genre: Christmas, Fluff, Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 14:35:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5543573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mage_989/pseuds/mage_989
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sandra takes home a new friend for Christmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Home for the Holidays

The mall was packed as holiday shoppers weaved their way through crowds towards the stores to find last minute gifts before closing. Within one of those stores Sandra and John had been stationed as part of the department’s annual outreach program and were helping with a display for the local animal shelter. Bringing awareness to all the animals that needed homes for the holidays. 

“Thank you two so much for your help,” one helper said as they started to pack up the displays after a very successful evening. 

“Our pleasure,” Sandra said as she helped put several of the animals away in pet carriers, making sure every pet that was going home with a family later had a proper tag, and there were a lot of them. 

John grunted as he shoved various items into a box and the lady scurried away without another word. 

Sandra glared at him. “Jesus, John, when did you turn into such a Scrooge?”

“Since my antihistamine ran out half an hour ago,” he said, and sneezed.

Sandra rolled her eyes.

“And so you insist on suffering in silence. Go to the cruiser I packed extra in the glove compartment.”

John looked at her, surprise in his watery eyes. Sandra put her hand on his arm.

“John, you’re my partner and I want to look out for you. Now get to the car I’ll finish up here.”

He nodded and left.

Sandra went back to work, but as the last batch of carriers was picked up she noticed someone had been left behind. A small puppy with short black and brown fur was left in the pen, chewing on a toy turkey leg. 

“Wait we’ve missed one.”

“Oh no, he isn’t coming with us he’s a return.” 

“Why does that mean he won’t go with you? Surely you’ve had returns before.”

“Yes, but you see…he’s one of yours, a police dog I mean. He was in training for the canine division, but with the talk about replacing them with the new K9 robotic units there won’t be enough room in the program for everyone. He was rejected for further training and since his early weeks were spent training to be a working dog and so socialized differently from most puppies it makes him less adoptable.”

She sighed.

“The family that brought him back said exactly what we feared: that he was too demanding. That he would take too long to train out of habits he’s already learned; that he can’t adapt to being a family pet he need too much discipline. Add in the fact that so many people want designer pets these days and he’s mutt well…” the girl turned away, clearly uncomfortable with the whole conversation. “Animal Control will be by later to get him.”

Sandra looked down at the little guy who abandoned his toy and came over to her. He braced himself up on the wall of the pen so he could reach her hand and licked it. She laughed and sent a text to John letting him know she would be a while. She had supplies to buy and forms to fill out. She knew that if there was anyone who knew how to keep someone in line it was her.

***

John sighed in relief as the allergy meds did their work. He leaned back in his seat and watched the thick snow fall outside as Bing Crosby sang ‘White Christmas’ over the radio.

He sat back up as he saw Sandra finally come out of the mall and then frowned in confusion as he saw she was carrying several bags and holding one arm against her chest. She put the bags in the back and slid into the front seat with her arm still pressed against her.

Before he could say anything a fuzzy head poked its way out of her jacket.

“Sandra, what the hell is that?!”

“He is a German Shepard Husky cross.” 

“And he’s riding with us because…?”

“They said he wasn’t adoptable and I couldn’t just leave him there, it’s Christmas.”

John held out his hand for the puppy to sniff and then scratched him behind the ears.

“So are you going to pick up every stray who gives you the puppy dog eyes?”

Sandra smirked at her partner.

“Well it worked for you didn’t it?”

“Hey!”

Before John could come up with a better come back Captain Deckard came over the comm.

_“Kennex, Maldonado, have you finished with the adoption charity?”_

“Yes, Captain, we’re just leaving,” John answered, as they pulled out of the parking lot.

Just then Sandra’s new friend barked in excitement.

_“What was that?”_

“Nothing, Captain,” Sandra answered. “I’ll brief you fully when we get back to the precinct.”

_“Maldonado!”_

Sandra hit the comm link and cut off the rest of his tirade.

“You love to push his buttons don’t you?”

“Deckard is all bark no bite.”

John snorted. “That is a terrible joke.”

“It’s late, I’m tired. Anyway he just growls because it’s all he has. He knows he can’t fire me I’m too good now.”

***

The snow had stopped by the time Sandra got home and into bed that night. The thick layer of white a promise of new possibilities and a fresh start, and that was certainly true of her new housemate. Said housemate who had left his bed the moment Sandra pulled the covers up around herself and jumped up on the bed to join her. 

“Hey, no you sleep on the floor.”

He just looked at her, those big puppy eyes working their magic.

“Fine, but just for tonight.”

His tail wagged happily and he quickly curled next to her and went to sleep.

Sandra smiled and closed her eyes. He couldn’t be a family dog her foot he already was.

The End


End file.
